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It might have been overshadowed by the Shea Weber-P.K. Subban deal, but its possible that the New Jersey Devils offseason acquisition of former No. 1 overall draft pick Taylor Hall from the?Edmonton Oilers?for emerging young defenseman Adam Larsson will end up being the most impactful offseason move in the league.The Devils, who are finally beginning to look like a Ray Shero team, hung around the edge of the playoff picture last season far longer than most had expected them to. But with?Michael Cammalleri?hurt, New Jersey lacked that go-to offensive guy, as it finished dead last in goals per game. In Hall the Devils have one of the top left wingers in the game. And, at age 24, he should be the centerpiece of New Jerseys offense for years to come. It cost him, but Shero has accelerated the process of rebuilding the barren cupboard he inherited when he became the Devils general manager in May 2015.We had to take a bit of a step back to be a better team, Shero said in a recent interview. We needed more talented players, younger players.Among the positive elements for New Jersey is ownership thats committed to winning and to spending to win, a sudden plethora of draft picks, and cap space. So stay tuned if the Devils are close come the trade deadline.Best new facesUm, did we mention Taylor Hall? Four times in his young career, Hall has topped 20 goals -- and now thats hes playing in a more structured offense, likely with his former Windsor Spitfires junior teammate?Adam Henrique, look for Hall to be north of 30, and maybe closer to 40, goals if he stays healthy.Shero didnt want to give up on Larsson, whose absence leaves a sizeable hole on the blue line, especially when you factor in the departure of the underappreciated David Schlemko. But look for a rejuvenated Ben Lovejoy, fresh off a steady turn for the Stanley Cup champion?Pittsburgh Penguins?last season, to help stabilize the blue line. Veteran Kyle Quincey was signed during training camp, adding to the teams blue-line depth.Beau Bennett, whom Shero drafted in Pittsburgh, may be looking at his last chance to revive his injury-marred career up front, while Vernon Fiddler, an important glue guy, could add veteran leadership on a team that shed a bevy of aging players, including?Tuomo Ruutu, Stephen Gionta and Jordin Tootoo, and presumably Patrik Elias, the Devils all-time leading scorer who is?still recovering from offseason surgery on his right knee and remains unsigned.Biggest unknownsLets start with Cammalleri, who is reportedly at full strength after a wrist injury kept him out of action from the All-Star break on. His absence was a killer for a Devils team that was not particularly deep up front. When hes healthy, Cammalleri is one of the most creative, productive players in the game. But the 34-year-old has struggled to stay healthy in recent years. If hes in the lineup, the Devils offensive depth goes up exponentially.How will Hall fit in? He wasnt happy about being traded, and if you assume hes motivated to prove Edmonton wrong, this should be good news for New Jersey. Shero has been candid in saying he wished he didnt have to trade Larsson, who was finally emerging as a top-four defender. Now the Devils have to hope they can fill that gap by committee as the teams identity continues to coalesce.Sure thingsCory Schneider didnt get much of a shot for Team USA at the World Cup of Hockey -- he played one period in the tournament -- but hes an elite netminder, and if the Devils are going to jump into the top eight in the Eastern Conference, Schneider will have to shoulder a mighty load. Schneiders U.S. teammate Kyle Palmieri had a breakout season for the Devils in 2015-16, scoring 30 times and adding 27 assists. He could get a look on the top line with Hall, but either way his work ethic and determination are as important to the team as is his goal production.OK, almost as important. The Devils were eighth in goals allowed per game and on the penalty kill and surprisingly ninth in power-play efficiency last season, a testament to the game plan implemented by first-year head coach John Hynes. Hynes comfort level with this team should increase his second year.PredictionThe Devils are close, maybe closer than people give them credit for being, and if they can stay healthy, theyre going to be in the hunt for a postseason berth next April. Sixth in the Metropolitan Division. Wholesale Running Shoes Canada . How great will be revealed in the next couple of days at the board of governors meeting in Pebble Beach, Calif. Cheapest Running Shoes Online .C. -- Kemba Walker and the Charlotte Bobcats got off to a fast start, and the Sacramento Kings were never quite able to catch up. http://www.discountrunningshoescanada.com/ . The Americans, skipped by John Shuster, seized the advantage in the eighth end by scoring five points for a 7-3 lead. The Czechs pulled two back in the ninth, but Shusters team of third Jeff Isaacson, second Jared Zezel and lead John Landsteiner ended with another point to secure the last Olympic berth on offer. Running Shoes Canada Online . Tests earlier this week revealed a Grade 2 left hamstring strain for Sabathia, who was hurt in last Fridays start against San Francisco. Its an injury that will require about eight weeks to heal. He finished a disappointing campaign just 14-13 with a career-worst 4. Discount Running Shoes Online . -- Arizona raced out to a big lead and did not back off, hitting the accelerator instead. Welcome to the pinnacle of gridiron fantasy games!The beauty of Eliminator Challenge lies in its simplicity: every week youre asked to pick the winner of one NFL game straight up. If the team you choose prevails, then you advance! The only caveat is you can only use a team ONCE during the season, and so the strategic intricacies emerge.Looking for more ESPN Fantasy Games? Play Capital One Bowl Mania, our college football bowl pickem game, and compete for a chance to win $1,000,000! Just pick all 42 bowl games correctly!Do you map out the entire schedule ahead of time, assuming the teams you feel are strong at the start of the season can remain that way for all 17 weeks? Do you take the biggest favorite every week and hope to consistently survive the dreaded upset? Perhaps you save an elite team for a juicy matchup down the road and rely on one thats less favorable to carry you through.For instance, Carolina is sure to be a sizeable Week 2 home-favorite over San Francisco, but burning a potential Super Bowl caliber team that early might be playing it too safe for your taste.As is always the case in the NFL, nothing comes easy. Its usually the matchup you overlook that gets the better of you, and if that happens your season is over. Thats right: if you lose even once youre out. While potentially devastatiing in its abruptness, the challenge of having to survive and advance each and every week is what makes this game so fun to play.ddddddddddddo matter the strategy, theres sure to be a time when youre sitting on the edge of your seat wondering why you decided to stake your entire season on a team thats now losing in the 4th Quarter. Its inevitable, but if you survive theres sure to be another week when youre in the clear and good percentage of your competitors are facing a similar situation.At first glance it might seem as though you can leave all of your NFL player-based knowledge and spread savvy at the door for this one, but youll need all of that and more to succeed here - and quite possibly a bit of luck as well.If you need more help, ESPN.com has all the tools you need to make the right decisions, week after week:NFL Pick Center: ESPN Insiders can look at two different simulation models to get an idea of how every NFL game will play out each week.NFL Power Rankings: Who are the best teams in the league? Consult the power rankings, a weekly poll of some of the best writers in the business.ESPN Chalk:?Comprehensive betting coverage, including best bets for every NFL game. ' ' '
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